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Posted: June 2, 2012

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HOW PUBLISHING WORKS (Your questions answered. Maybe. If I happen to know things.)

`PinkyMcCoversong Jun 2, 2012 Professional Writer

Hi everyone! Over the past few days I've noticed a lot of posts on the forums that talk about publishing. And I've noticed a lot of misconceptions. I thought instead of just throwing information here and there on various threads, I'd start a thread to talk about publishing in general. I'm by NO means an expert, but I have a good deal of experience in the field and I'm happy to share some information.

Ground rules:

You may ask me about novels, poetry, authors, literary journals, agents, editors, publicity and any of the bits and bobs that come with the job.

You may ask me about the publishing journey as an author/poet, and ask me about things an author does on his or her way to get published.

You may NOT slam living authors' works (it's not nice).

You may NOT ask me questions about my personal finances or really anything specific about money. It's tacky.

You can no longer comment on this thread as it was closed due to no activity for a month.

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*Rovanna Oct 22, 2012 Digital Artist

Me again.

Does a writer need to have a blog/"social media platform" and try and get a "fanbase" before they get published? Because I see this kind of advice a lot, but the idea seems ridiculous to me.

Obviously, if a writer wants to blog, then it can only be a good thing for them (unless nobody reads it) but I don't really have anything I want to blog about and I don't want to spam the Tweeter and it seems dumb to try and get "fans" before you actually have anything for people to read. It seems like a waste of time and energy that I could be better spending writing the book.

Tl;dr: So do people really care whether you have a 'social media platform'? (I'm talking traditional pubbing here)

`PinkyMcCoversong Oct 23, 2012 Professional Writer

I don't think you NEED social media. I actually recently gave a talk on this, and I think that social media is helpful in that it gives you a connection to other people, not just fans.

If you're on Twitter, participating in chats and lit-related conversations, you'll find how small the community is. Lots of industry insiders, and pros, and "big" authors are involved in these chats and conversations.

I also think it's important to have some sort of blog or website -- a way for people to contact you. A way that you're find-able. So that when you do get to the stage where you're submitting work, people can Google you. It's not a make-or-break thing, but I think it's good to have some kind of presence that someone checking you out can find. You never know! I had 3 agents contact me because of my online presence. None of them are the person I signed with, but they all read several of my books before we realized we weren't good matches.

In NON-FICTION, it's completely different. I think a lot of publishers want to see your online "platform" -- if you're submitting memoir, they might want to see your blog. If you're submitting a proposal for a book about monkeys, publishers/agents want to see your expertise in the field and sometimes a blog or website can be a big part of this.

Does this help? I think I've talked a little bit about social media earlier in the thread, and I have a blog post on it at my own blog if you're interested: [link]

*Rovanna Oct 23, 2012 Digital Artist

Thanks for that! The blog post was really good.

Main thing was I was worried about running out of things to blog about and having to force it (there's nothing worse than a stagnant blog with a 'hello world!' post and nothing else). I did have an idea once about posting hilarious snarky book reviews, but then I realised that would make me look like a dick.

I already have a website for myself as a designer, so I could make a writer site too. I guess I could put some stuff about writing on it and some non-snarky book reviews. I will ponder this...

~Billys19 Oct 12, 2012

I'm Looking To Get Published

`PinkyMcCoversong Oct 12, 2012 Professional Writer

That's not so much a question I can answer. Try checking some of the other posts in this thread for tips, I guess.

~Billys19 Oct 12, 2012

I Understand
I Will Check Out
Thanks

~Generalofshadow Oct 11, 2012 Hobbyist Writer

Ah, okay I have a good one:
Does one need the cover image to their novel before submitting it to get published?

And in addition what should one have when submitting to get it published?
ie: cover, images, editor note, author note, summary?

`PinkyMcCoversong Oct 11, 2012 Professional Writer

1. The author has NOTHING to do with the cover.

2. When submitting to a traditional publisher or agent, all you need is your POLISHED manuscript, a query letter, and if they ask for it, a synopsis.

~Generalofshadow Oct 11, 2012 Hobbyist Writer

Excellent.
Can I ask who takes care of the cover?

`PinkyMcCoversong Oct 11, 2012 Professional Writer

The publisher has an entire team of marketing and design gurus.

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HOW PUBLISHING WORKS (Your questions answered. Maybe. If I happen to know things.)

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